Something For The Weekend: Monica Loughman's cultural picks

Ballerina Monica Loughman is the special guest at the RTÉ Concert Orchestra's night of Classic Ballet Music on Thursday 30th November at the NCH, presented by Liz Nolan of RTÉ lyric fm.

Featuring favourites from Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Firebird, Coppelia and more, Monica will share her memories of being the first westerner to achieve solo status with the Perm State Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Russia, where she danced for 14 years.

Monica Loughman in action (Pic: Keith Dixon)

We asked Monica for her choice cultural picks...

FILM

I've always admired the creation of film, the performance of the actors, the creativity of the directors. I recall one night in Russia after several gruellingly long hours, I came to my apartment and my roommate turned on this movie called White Nights. I was ready for the sweet sheets of my bed... but after watching a single scene, I was glued to the screen. The dancing scenes are a bit far-fetched, but I loved the movie. I recall the following day I came back from training more banjaxed than the previous day, yet still wanted to watch it again. That went on for a month...

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MUSIC

As a dancer, almost all my life I’ve been surrounded by the heart-touching sounds of genius musicians. Yet one artist has cultivated and remoulded what I thought was the height of music; Davy Spillane’s Midnight Walker can send me to tears - the continuous flow of the uilleann pipes in simple terms is majestic and heart-warming. In my opinion, Davy is a national treasure and we are all lucky to hear his work.

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BOOK

I love books, it’s just finding time to read them is the issue, but nonetheless whenever I find an hour or less I cannot help myself but to read The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. I’ve given this book to many a student and people I think would learn from each page. Talking of the likes of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great, Ryan Holiday has written several books about stoicism, wisdom and egoism, yet The Daily Stoic is my personal favourite. ‘Stoics’ are people who contain and control emotion and are able to fight struggles and come out on top. Each page has something new to tell and to learn from; I would highly recommend to anyone who is interested in top-class literature.

THEATRE

Shakespeare wrote numerous plays; my personal favourite, however, is Romeo and Juliet. I have danced Romeo and Juliet, a beauty of a story and yet so heartbreaking; dancing to such an iconic work of art was an honour I will never forget, and I could not be more thankful for that opportunity.

I watch TV with my son toward the end of the day, whether it be a rerun of Friends or Schitt’s Creek. One show I’ve been glued to is Bad Sisters. I only watched it a month ago, even though I’d been hearing buzz about it ever since it aired. Dearbhla Walsh is an excellent director, and the performances are spot on. An excellent watch.

GIG

I’ve danced on the stages of the world, and have been blessed to do so, but for some strange reason my proudest dance was at the National Concert Hall. I don’t know whether it’s a patriotic thing, but the NCH has always been my favourite; my son has admired the architecture of the theatre for many years now and so do I, it stands out in Dublin's vibrant atmosphere. It also holds a lot of sentimental value, as it was the first stage I danced on when I first arrived home from Russia, and also where my last performance was held.

ART

Art is subjective. We’ve all heard that saying and subjectively my favourite artist is Jim Fitzpatrick, he made his name by painting stunning Celtic gods, goddesses and holy saints. I’ve been a fan of his work for years, he's another national treasure. He created the famous Che Guevara poster.

Jim Fitzpatrick's iconic Che Guevara image, based on a photo by Alberto Korda

PODCAST

If I’m ever in traffic and I want to listen to something interesting I always put on The Dropout presented by Rebecca Jarvis. She discusses the disaster that was Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes. The entirety of the train crash from start to finish, uncovering the truth and lies that Holmes was keeping away from the public and her investors. Jarvis can take complicated subject matter, and make it understandable and interesting.

TECH

Ever since I first stepped on a plane, I was fascinated about aerodynamics. My favourite app has to be SkyScanner, which gives information on almost every plane around the world - altitude, speed, etc. If anyone asked me for a guilty pleasure, it would be tracking flights.

THE NEXT BIG THING...

Despite being a ballerina, I enjoy music other than classical; for example, I was in a restaurant and heard a CMAT song come on - I put on Shazam and was immediately interested. She puts a twist on country music and makes it dramatic and almost sad but yet gives it a twinge of spice with interesting lyrics and great vocals. I’ve recommended her to many people and when I say ‘CMAT’ they still say ‘Who?’ despite her album reaching number one on the Irish charts. If you are willing to give her a try, go for it!

Monica Loughman is the special guest at the RTÉ Concert Orchestra’s night of Classic Ballet Music on Thursday 30 November at the National Concert Hall, Dublin - find out more here.

Something For The Weekend: Monica Loughman's cultural picks

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